Important APLU Action

Dear APLU Members,

As you know, on Friday, the administration declared it would cut funding for life-saving medical research effective today, February 10, 2025. Its announcement that it would limit Facilities and Administrative (F&A) reimbursements to a 15% rate for NIH research grants has an immediate and dire impact on critical biomedical and health research nationwide. It also presents an immediate and significant financial challenge for APLU’s members who rely on these promised reimbursements to carry out research on behalf of the American people.

Following NIH’s announcement, APLU quickly released a statement on Friday night explaining the consequences of this action. We have been deeply engaged with policymakers, partner associations, the media, and member institutions following the release.

Given the gravity of the situation to both the nation and our member institutions, APLU consulted with the executive committee of the Board of Directors over the weekend on this matter. After very careful consideration, APLU decided to join with the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the American Council on Education (ACE) as plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the action which we strongly believe to be both against the national interest and unlawful.

The complaint was just filed in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts to seek an immediate temporary restraining order on the administration’s cut to F&A reimbursements and ultimately more permanent relief. Separate from our filing, attorneys general from 22 states filed a lawsuit earlier today in the same federal court. A judge has already granted a temporary restraining order in that case, but the relief is limited to plaintiff states. In accordance with the advice of counsel, we believe the action filed by the associations makes unique and important contributions to the legal challenges. Of note, APLU’s membership extends to all 50 states and six U.S. territories, not just the 22 states in the other complaint

This is the first time in APLU’s history that it has served as a plaintiff in a case, let alone one against the federal government. As I am sure you can appreciate, we did not reach this decision lightly. It was only after careful consideration of how significant an impact NIH’s action is having on the nation’s medical research enterprise and APLU’s members that we felt compelled to act in partnership with peer associations.

Mark Becker,
APLU President